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Summary: Motivation is a critical aspect of leadership. But most leaders fail to realize practical processes to motivate people consistently. Here is a motivational-leadership tool to greatly increase your leadership effectiveness.

The Defining Moment: The Straw That Stirs The Drink Of Motivational Leadership (Part Two) by Brent Filson

In Part One, I described importance of establishing deep, human connections with people you lead. I said there were three ways to do that, by communicating information, by making sense, and by having your experience become their experiences. By far, most important and most effective way, is latter.

Now I'll show you how to make that happen by developing and communicating a defining moment.

Write down three to five of your EXPERIENCES that made a strong impression on you. Describe each in a few sentences or paragraphs. That's it. Do no more. The important thing now is to deliberately walk through sequence of defining-moment development. It's easy to get off track, but once you take trouble to go through process, you'll have it for life.

For instance, an experience that defines much of what I do in leadership happened when my father lay on his deathbed. He and I had struggled for years over conflicting views of my career path, but when he got cancer, terrible disease led to a healing in our relationship, and for first time in years, we were able to talk with affection and no recriminations. During a long discussion one afternoon a few weeks before he died, I told him that I felt I had run out of opportunities in my life.

His thin hand, which had been so broad until he became ill (He came from a family of hulking carpenters.) closed around mine, and he said, "Brent, how can you say that? Everyone has opportunities all time. Look at me. Even me, here, on this bed — even I have opportunities!"

I didn't think much about what he said until after he died, and then his words kept coming back to me. Sort of breaking open in my mind like psychological time-release capsules and releasing bits of understanding. I came to understand what he really meant. And I took that understanding into my life and work.

Since then, I have never lacked for opportunities — simply because my father had me see that opportunities are never lacking — nor have I allowed leaders I've worked with to lack opportunities.

"The purpose of setting goals is to help us to focus our attention. The mind will not reach toward achievement until it has clear objectives. The magic begins when we set goals. It is then that switch is turned on, current begins to flow, and power to accomplish becomes a reality” – from The Best of Success by Career Press

The word "goal" provokes different emotions in people. Some people refuse to set goals for fear of failure. Some people don’t have a vision; they live day to day never thinking that there may be more to this existence. Having goals gives us direction; they are our life’s compass. Great athletes, entrepreneurs and high achievers use goal setting to accomplish their life’s mission. Having goals helps you focus your attainment of knowledge and organize your resources. Goal setting gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. Short-term goals are stepping-stones to your long-term goals.

Discover what you want. What do you want out of your relationships, your career your life? One way to discover your purpose, to create a vision for your life, is to make a detailed list of your hopes, dreams and aspirations. Start by answering in detail following questions:

What would you do, if you won a million dollars today?

What makes you happiest, most fulfilled?

What do you think about when you daydream?

What do you talk about most of time?

If you were granted three wishes, what would they be?